Arts council presents ‘Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway’

OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Actors in "Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway" rehearse a scene during practice Jan. 30. From left, are John Heilman, Rus Brabee and Joy Jackson.

By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com

Songs, comedy, 1920s gangsters — Clarke Area Arts Council’s dinner-theater production of “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway” has it all.

“I wanted something upbeat and something that people would enjoy,” said Ann Diehl, the show’s director. “We’ve done two mystery-dinner theaters, and, of course, that doesn’t fit with the season. I love this kind of music, for one thing.”

Performances are Saturday, Feb. 15, and Sunday, Feb. 16, at Osceola Country Club.

Characters

There are many characters who contribute to the plot development of the “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway.” The cast consists of 13 actors.

The show features a Broadway director who is in dire need of funding for his musical, a small-town girl with dreams of becoming a big star, a criminal who is on the lam and the gangsters who are hightailing after him.

When asked what she thinks the audience will like most about the musical, Diehl said, “I think the musical numbers and the interplay between the characters, and also, I think it’s great that we’ve got new people. And that, I think, should peak some interest, too.”